


Presentation

by Teej



Category: Galileo (TV Japan)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 12:52:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16429763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teej/pseuds/Teej
Summary: Yukawa firmly denies romance as being illogical, however his actions speak far louder than words...





	Presentation

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my soul, I am writing fic for a non English show and I am petrified! 
> 
> That said, I have been encouraged, ie egged-on, by VesperRegina, who has written brilliant Galileo fics that I just absolutely love! Especially [ Darkest of Marks](https://archiveofourown.org/works/828258) and [ Tensile.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2016738) I highly recommend both!
> 
> Then she pulled the rug out from under feet by not only providing the visual inspiration behind this story, but she also beta'd the story for me as well!
> 
> Needless to say, this fic is for her!
> 
> If you'd like to see the Youtube video that inspired this story go here: [ Jun's Kitchen: Crepe Suzette.](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRxAgfYexGLlu1WHGIMUDqw) This video is totally beyond belief and I am shamelessly lifting scenes from it, you'll understand why when you watch! Plus, try not to fall in love with Jun, Haku and Nagi. (Warning, its impossible not to...) 
> 
> Many, many thanks to Rachel and Jun for their wonderful Youtube channel! Go follow them!
> 
> Also, this is the Plasma Lighter mentioned near the start...
> 
>   
> 

****

##  **Presentation**

__

_The giving of something to someone_

She refused to let this intimidate her but...

Utsumi simply stood in the entry-way and stared. It certainly didn't take a rocket scientist to know Yukawa made good money. His wardrobe alone was proof of that. Now it reflected in the apartment he lived in. Though still considered a small place, the view alone probably made up two-third's of the rent. Outside the glass French doors to the balcony, part of the University campus and the city beyond that twinkled in the night. The other part of the view was the campus Arboretum, enshrouded in darkness with the soft muted glow of hooded lights illuminating the paths wending their way through it.

The main room was neat, austere, modern, with clean lines, very much reflecting the man who lived there. Across one wall was a floor to ceiling bookcase with inset lighting, the centre light of which cast a soft golden light about the darkened entryway. 

Utsumi started when she felt a slight nudge at her elbow. She twisted, looking at Yukawa. He stood very near behind her, holding a pair of slippers in one hand which he had used to get her attention. She was acutely aware of his presence behind her. Solid, warm, and if she was going to be truthful to herself, a bit heady. He had that effect on her, moments when she couldn't seem to breathe whenever he came anywhere near her. It was both frustrating and glorious at the same time. A real conundrum. It didn't help that she could also make out the faint touch of cedar in his cologne.

“Oh...” she said, dropping her gaze, taking the slippers from him. She didn't see the slight twitch of his lips as he stepped up into his living room. Of course he'd already removed his own shoes, stowing them away while she gawped at his apartment. She felt a flush of irritation colour her cheeks before she gently toed her heels off, sliding her feet into the slippers he'd offered. 

Her shoes joined his before she stepped up into the living room, still looking around in keen interest and not a little awe. He had turned, dropping his house keys into a basket on a small table near the door. The soft clink of sound almost too loud for the hushed apartment. He proceeded across the living room towards the kitchen. It never ceased to catch her attention how tall and straight Yukawa stood.

The room was a large “L”, with the living room/dining room combination that opened to the kitchen. It was a trick to the eyes, making the space look much bigger than it actually was. There was a small table with a pair of chairs in the open portion of the dining room. Moving left there was a single lounge chair, small table lamp, and across from it a couch used to separate the entry from the living room. The furniture had all been arranged to take advantage of the view outside the balcony. The only indication of clutter was on the table next to the lounge chair, where several files, dog-eared magazines, papers, and a couple of books were haphazardly stacked. Utsumi blinked, clutching onto the handles of her purse with both hands which was still slung over her shoulder and continued to survey the apartment.

Her gaze switched to the kitchen. It was small but it had an island, with a pair of bar stools. Like the rest of the apartment it was spotless, each thing in its proper place. Her gaze fell to the island. In the soft dim glow of the bookcase lighting, she could see the knife block, and a misshapen lump of various items covered with a pair of kitchen towels. She frowned, her thoughts mulling things over as she trailed slowly behind him into the living room proper.

A large shefflera house plant, nearly Utsumi's height, stood in a blank space of wall next to the bookcase, which rustled slightly as Yukawa turned right and slid open a closet door facing the kitchen. He looked at her, his face carefully neutral, watching her as she stopped and took in the surroundings that was his home.

“Utsumi?” He asked, pulling her out her musings. She looked at him. “May I take your coat?” 

She blinked once, trying to hide the fact he had caught her off guard yet again, before she stepped into the kitchen. She set her purse down on one of the barstools. As she began to shrug her coat off, she felt his hands take the back of her coat collar, barely brushing his fingertips across her shoulders as he assisted her out of the coat. She looked anywhere but at him, unable to ignore the warmth that spread through her at the brief contact of his fingers. She forced her attention on what appeared suspiciously as several votive candles on the far side of the kitchen island.

“When you asked if I wanted dessert, this was not the place I imagined you would bring me,” she said, listening as he hung her coat up. She turned when he didn't reply, to see him shrugging out of his own dark suit jacket. He reached into the closet for a hanger, gently shaking his jacket to get out any creases before hanging it up.

“If I recall,” he said, “I didn't name a place.” He slid the closet door shut before turning back to face her.

Her chin came up, as she studied him in the gloom of the apartment. “So why here?”

“Why not?”

“You have dessert here already?” She fired back. 

Yukawa lifted his chin, as he reached down and began unbuttoning the cuff at his left wrist. “In a manner of speaking,” he replied.

This time she saw the flicker of amusement at his lips. He unbuttoned the right cuff then stepped a little past her, reaching over to pull the bar stool--not being used as a purse stand—away from the island. He held out his hand.

“Have a seat?” he offered.

She eyed him a moment before sliding onto the chair. “Are you going to turn any lights on here as well?” she asked as he entered the kitchen and began carefully folding back his shirt sleeves. She couldn't help but notice his strong forearms and more than capable hands. Even in the gloom of the kitchen she could see his large hands and dusky pink fingertips. 

His face remained neutral as he rounded the kitchen island. He tugged open a drawer and pulled out a what looked like a cigarette lighter. Thumbing the top back he reached over to his left, picking up one of the candles.

Utsumi watched, looking a bit incredulous as he clicked the lighter and a pair of thin blue streaks of light criss-crossed between elements on the lighter's tip. He tilted the votive, setting the wick on the cross the sparks formed. As the candle caught, she could just make out the lighter in his hand. Purples, blues and greens flashed like oil on a puddle in his hand. Then she squinted seeing the cap was the head of an exquisitely carved dragon.

Yukawa glanced her way and saw her interest. “Plasma lighter,” he said, stretching out his arm and setting the votive to her left. The soft golden glow cast a warm light over the kitchen island as he reached over and picked up a second candle. Once lit, he set it in the centre of the work surface before him then lit the third one leaving it in its place. “Far hotter than a regular match and much cleaner than a butane one.”

Utsumi picked the lighter up when he set it down, examining it. The body of the lighter was the body of the dragon crouching and it glinted its oily sheen in the light of the candle next to her. “Seems a bit extravagant for you?” She commented.

“It was a gift,” Yukawa said, turning around and reaching up to open a cupboard. “Kuribayashi.” He pulled out a pair of champagne flutes. 

Still holding the lighter in her hand, she raised an eyebrow at Yukawa as he turned back around and set the glasses off to one side.

“Just, what is it are you doing?” 

“I'm going to make dessert,” he replied. 

Setting his lighter back down, she looked up at him a bit surprised. “Make dessert?”

“Must I repeat myself?” he asked, and began to pull the kitchen towels off what they where covering on the island.

Utsumi shot him a look before her eyes glanced down at what he had uncovered. Several tiny ramekin saucers, with already pre-measured ingredients in them, three oranges, an egg in a pestle, a small bowl with sugar in it, another with flour, a long thin plastic envelope with something dark inside. There was also a single chopstick and a whisk.

“What exactly are you making?” She glanced at him as he turned and washed his hands in the kitchen sink.

“Crepes Suzette,” he replied.

“By candlelight?” she asked. 

He glanced at her as he picked up the nearest towel and dried his hands. Without a comment, he reached into the pre-measured ingredients and picked up a ramekin with some softened butter in it. “Have you ever had Crepes Suzette?” he asked.

“No,” she said as he held the ramekin with his thumb and middle finger and idly rotated it over the flame of the votive in the centre of the workspace. She glanced up at him. His face was still impassive, but as he shifted his gaze from where the butter was melting to hers, she could see a glint of impishness in his eyes. The candlelight also did some amazing things for the planes and facets of his face.

“I promise,” he said, “That you won't regret it.” He continued to rotate the ramekin.

“You are actually melting butter over a candle,” she pointed out, shaking her head.

It was a rhetorical question and he wasn't obliged to answer. 

He just watched what he was doing, satisfied in its success, then he set the ramekin down. Reaching into a recess on the kitchen island he pulled out a wooden chopping block, setting it in front of him. He moved the candle over then reached into the knife block, pulling out the small paring knife.

“You're making dessert, for me, by candlelight.” She said again. “Are you deliberately trying to be romantic here?”

Yukawa stopped everything he was doing, looking at her. “It's not romantic, it's presentation. You will understand why candlelight is better for making this dish when I go to make the sauce for it. Romance has nothing at all to do with it.”

“Ohhhh...” Utsumi said softly looked at him, lifting her chin, and not believing him for a second. “So there's nothing of a romantic nature going on here at all?” Tilting her hand down, she waved a finger between them. 

Yukawa ignored her remark by picking up the long, thin, dark item in its plastic wrap from the other ingredients and set it in front of them. “Your powers of observation are decidedly illogical tonight.” He left just enough of a hint in his voice to make that either a compliment or a snide remark, depending on how it was received. “Crepes Suzette, practically speaking, is a show, a display. The candles aid in the outcome. Nothing romantic about it.”

“A dessert sideshow?” she asked. 

Yukawa dropped his chin and looked over at her, idly fingering his paring knife. “Presentation,” he said stubbornly. 

Utsumi was about to say something when he abruptly sliced the end of the plastic-wrapped item and pulled out an elongated bean. It shone black and oily in the candlelight. Almost immediately, Utsumi could just make out the smell of vanilla. The empty wrapper promptly disappeared, and Yukawa cut the end off the bean, then with a surprising deftness of touch, he inserted the tip of the knife into the pod and neatly sliced it open.

“At the risk of annoying you further, ” Utsumi said dryly, “what is that?”

He looked up at her as he opened up the pod. “You've never seen a vanilla bean?”

It was her turn to give him an exasperated look. 

He paused a moment, chin tucked in, then he resumed what he was doing. Very carefully he began scraping the seeds from the pod onto the tip of the paring knife. “Vanilla doesn't just appear in a bottle,” he said. “Real vanilla comes from this, the bean of a vanilla orchid. It is not to be confused with Vanillin, used in cheaper, imitation vanilla-flavoured extracts. Vanillin is made from sawdust.”

“Sawdust?” Utsumi burst, looking at him, eyes wide with disbelief. 

“More properly lignin waste from the pulp of paper and sawmills. At one point in time, 1981, 60% of the world's vanillin was produced from a single paper mill in Ontario, Canada. Its since become more cost effective with different bio-chemical extractions. Needless to say...” he paused, and set the tip of the knife, covered with tiny black flakes and bits of seed on the edge of the ramekin of butter. “I vastly prefer to use the real thing.”

“I'm never making chocolate chip cookies ever again,” Utsumi muttered, rubbing her fingertips across her brow as she watched him used the tip of his finger to scrape the vanilla into the butter. A ghost of a smile played across his lips as he proceeded to slice the remainder of the bean into smaller segments and add it to the butter.

“Just check your ingredients and make sure there is no vanillin, or artificial vanilla flavouring,” he commented.

With a quick swipe, to clean the paring blade off, he set the knife aside and picked up the chopstick. Lifting the ramekin he gently began to stir the beans and sections into the butter. The aroma it created was tantalizing and distracting at the same time. Utsumi's nose was twitching as she breathed it in.

“Would you like some wine?” he asked, setting the butter aside and bending over to extract a glass bowl out from under the kitchen island. 

Utsumi paused a moment, her mouth twisting into a moue of thought. “Sure,” she replied. She saw Yukawa flash a rare smile as he set the bowl down, then he turned to the cabinet behind him and pulled down a third champagne glass. 

In between his kitchen and the dining room was a small rack of wine bottles and he retrieved one, a white. His hand dipped into a utility drawer on the island and he pulled out a corkscrew. He had the cork out of the bottle in seconds, then he poured her a generous glass.

“Sauternes,” he explained. “From the Bordeaux region of France. It will make a nice compliment to the crepes.”

“Just don't tell me its made with wood pulp,” she replied lightly, taking the glass and gingerly giving it a sniff.

“Nonsense. It's made from three different white grapes that have been infected with _Botrytis cinerea._ More commonly called the noble rot. It is uniquely situated to the Graves region of Bordeaux.”

Utsumi had just taken the first sip and almost spluttered it back out. Instead she involuntarily gulped it down. Her hand instantly covered her mouth.

“Rot?!” she demanded, glaring at him. “Are you deliberately trying to sabotage this dessert you're making? First it's wood pulp extract and now some sort of rot?” She looked at the glass in her hand, lip curling slightly. “It's no wonder girls would quit talking to you considering some of things that come out of your mouth...” she paused and added, “If you were trying to set a romantic mood here, you managed to wipe that out just by talking.”

“You're the one letting statements of fact lead you to the wrong conclusions. Food processes often times has an unsavoury beginning. Consider the moulds used to cure cheeses.” He looked at her. “As for this, I'm certainly not going to dignify making an excellent dessert as something romantic.”

Before Utsumi could open her mouth to argue he quickly added, “Noble rot in a vineyard causes the grapes to partially raisin,” he said. “It concentrates the sugars in the fruit making the wine sweeter. Try another sip...” he said, nudging the bowl he'd retrieved forward into the centre of the island. 

Cautiously, her eyes flashing irritation at his statements, Utsumi looked at the champagne flute. She shot a disgruntled look his way before she took another sip. 

Yukawa picked up the egg sitting in a tiny pestle amongst the ingredients and set it beside the bowl. “You should notice the sweetness and a bit of acidity. Plus some nutty flavours, with citrus, and honey.” He tapped the egg on the edge of the bowl and cracked it open single-handed before he tossed the egg shell into the trash under the sink. Picking up the whisk he gently scrambled the egg then added a ramekin of milk to the bowl, carefully mixing it. In went the butter and vanilla bean, and he glanced up to see her gingerly taking another sip. 

As she carefully tasted the wine, he slowly began adding flour to his mix, glancing at her occasionally. He carefully stirred the ingredients together making a batter.

“Sauternes,” he said, “ages extremely well, the darker the colour the better. It can get very expensive too, as noble rot is not guaranteed to infect a crop on a regular basis. Vintages are hit and miss.”

“How do you know all this?” Utsumi demanded, setting the wine glass down as he set the batter he had made aside and began clearing off the utensils and dishes he had already used. 

He set them in the sink behind him. “I believe you already know cooking is my hobby...” he said dryly. From the utility drawer he pulled out a spatula. “There is an exactness to it, a science, precision, reason. Its processes, from beginning to end, follow logical courses of action and reactions. Romance has nothing to do with it.”

Utsumi rolled her eyes, taking another sip of wine, trying to discern the flavours he mentioned as he crouched at the island and pulled out a large, flat rectangular item with a stove element in its centre. One side of it actually formed a cylinder. He set it squarely in the workspace, then turned to pull two differently sized plates from the cabinets behind him. Placing the larger plate nearby, he engaged a switch on his end of the cylinder. With a click it ignited gas surrounding the element. Blue flame added its soft glow to the candlelight already illuminating the kitchen. He turned the setting down, reducing the blue flames to a low glowing circle.

He reached under the island again and pulled up a large skillet which promptly was set on the burner. Utsumi had lapsed into silence, fascinated at watching him move around the island with ease. Yukawa was relaxed, comfortable, and she couldn't help but see faint glimmers of delight occasionally glinting in his eyes by candlelight as he prepared to make the crepes.

Picking up another ramekin with butter he added it into the pan. Setting that aside he lifted the skillet, twisting his wrist to swirl the melting butter around to coat the pan before setting it back down. He reached for the batter.

He plucked out the larger pieces of vanilla stem before tipping a small amount of the batter into the skillet. Bowl aside, he took the handle of the skillet again and coated the pan with a thin layer of batter before setting it back down. With the spatula he tested one edge of the crepe, before gently loosening it then giving the pan a shake. 

Utsumi could hear the crepe slide inside the skillet, then she watched as he tilted the pan towards himself. With a quick jerk of his hand he deftly, neatly, flipped the crepe over inside the pan. Another quick shake to loosen the crepe and another flip and he was able to carefully fold the crepe in half. He then slid it onto the large plate and proceeded to make one more. 

Clicking the flame off on the burner, he set the skillet down on it, then shifted both off to the far side of the island from them and pulled the cutting board back out. She watched as he pulled out a large, two pronged, fork from the cutting block. Setting it at the head of the board, he then reached over and pulled out his chef's knife. One of the three oranges he'd had with all the other ingredients, sat in it own small bowl. Taking it out he set the orange on the chopping block then took up the knife and with a satisfying snick, cut one end off the orange, exposing the pulp.

The lovely aroma of orange peel filled the island area between them. 

Yukawa set the cut end on top of the orange then picked up the fork and skewered the two sections together. Grasping the fork's handle, he set the impaled orange at an angle then took up the knife and began spiral-slicing the orange peel off. However he did not cut the peel off entirely. He left the coil of peel dangling on the orange, then he picked up the small bowl he'd had it in and set the whole thing, fork and all, back into the bowl before setting it aside.

Utsumi frowned again, looking at all of the items he'd had set out, then back at him. He was cutting the other two oranges he'd had in a bowl in half before putting that bowl down in front of him. From somewhere, he produced a sieve, setting it over the bowl. As she watched, he picked up an orange half, squeezing it hard in one hand allowing the juice to strain through the sieve. She was momentarily distracted by the tendons and muscles in his hand and forearm as they contracted and flexed with the activity. Then something occurred to her.

“You've been planning this all day haven't you?” she suddenly asked. “You prepared all of this to make not even knowing if I would consent to come over here. That takes a lot of forethought and if you don't think for a minute that this isn't rom...” 

She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't get a chance.

Yukawa had leaned over the island towards her, face impassive, looking intently at her and had his index finger placed solidly and squarely on her lips. “Shush,” he said.

Utsumi blinked in surprise, pulling her head back, both at his audacity to shush her, and by the fact that there was sweet orange juice on his finger with the divine smell of orange peel wafting into her nose.

“Just observe,” he said quietly, waiting a moment, as she blinked again. He pulled his hand back, picked up another half of orange and squeezed the juice out of it. The other orange quickly followed suit.

About to rebuke him, Utsumi had involuntarily run her tongue across her lips, surprised at just how sweet the orange juice was and she lapsed into silence, a slightly resentful look on her face. Her mouth twitched into a piqued moue.

Yukawa once again cleaned up the space around him before pulling the single burner unit back and reigniting it. Setting the skillet on to warm he turned around towards a different section of his kitchen cabinets and pulled down three bottles. He set them on the open side of the counter next to his work space. 

“Crepes Suzette has an orange sauce made with Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Both are orange flavoured liqueurs.” He picked up the first bottle, divesting it of its seals and cracking the cap loose before setting it down for her to see. “The Cointreau is a made from sweet and bitter orange peels and is a triple sec, meaning its been distilled three times for flavour and sweetness.” 

Picking up the bottle of Grand Marnier, he removed its seals and cracked the cap loose. “The Grand Marnier is also a triple sec but it has cognac brandy and sugar added to the distillation process.” Setting it down he picked up a third bottle, opening it as well. “This is something I decided to try because a cherry liqueur is suggested with the dish. Only this cherry liqueur is made not only with the cherries but also the blossoms of two different cherry trees.”

Utsumi started, looking at the bottle as he set it down before her. She opened her mouth to say something when he just looked at her in warning. He reached for a third ramekin with softened butter. Into the skillet it went to be quickly joined by the last little bowl of sugar.

“Now just watch,” he said, “first I'm going to melt the butter and sugar together to start the sauce.” He picked up the spatula, giving the ingredients a stir and waited a moment for it to melt and blend together. As that happened he picked up a clean ramekin, then the bottle of Cointreau. He poured out some, seeming to know exactly how much he needed, before capping the bottle and setting it aside. 

Utsumi lapsed back into observing how naturally and fluidly he moved about the island. Between watching him move around with an almost unnatural grace, and the delectable aroma filling the kitchen, she found herself speechless with fascination. 

He picked up the bowl with the orange juice in it and added it to the skillet, where it began hissing and bubbling instantly upon contact. A quick turn to deposit the bowl into the sink he turned back and grasped the handle of the skillet. “I add the orange juice and bring it to a simmer...” he said, tilting the skillet about with ease, mixing the ingredients together. He stepped back away from the burner holding the skillet away from the flame.

“Then I add the Cointreau.” He took up the ramekin of orange triple sec and added it to the hissing sauce. It instantly began to simmer and steam with its aroma joined to the rest, then with one smooth move over the burner element, he set the skillet on fire.

Orange flames burst up, causing Utsumi to involuntarily jump, letting out a startled yelp in the process. Frozen for a moment, she stared at the fire burning in the skillet, before looking at Yukawa in alarm.

However, he wasn't moving away, if anything he smoothly, confidently swirled the contents of the skillet over the burner. “I let the alcohol from the Cointreau evaporate off,” he said as the flames began to subside significantly, before going out all together. He gave the sauce another quick swirl before setting the skillet on the cutting board off of the still burning element.

“You could at least give me a warning,” Utsumi protested, hand on her heart. She shot a glare at him from under her bangs.

Yukawa just looked askance at her as he picked up one of the champagne flutes he had set out. There was just a hint of a smirk on his lips. He picked up the Grand Marnier, pouring a small amount into the glass, followed by another dash of the Cointreau. Setting things aside, he picked up the glass of liqueurs, then reached over and gripped the handle of the orange he had skewered earlier. He held it up over the skillet of steaming sauce, letting the coil of peel dangle above it.

“With this I add more orange flavour to the sauce,” he said, and tilted the champagne flute over the burner. Within moments an ethereal blue flame ignited inside the champagne flute, causing her to jump again. However this time she gasped at the blue flickering flames. It was fascinating, and mysterious. Yukawa lifted the flute, and began pouring the ignited alcohol over the top of the impaled orange. The blue trickle of flames dribbled and ran down the peel to drizzle into the sauce. 

Utsumi had become utterly entranced. 

Yukawa set the flute aside, put the skillet back onto the burner then reached for the plate of crepes.

“From here I cook the crepes again and fold them into the sauce.” He took the folded crepes and slipped them into the skillet. As they simmered, he pulled out fork and spoon, holding them 'spooned' together and reached for the smaller plate he'd set aside. Very carefully, with the fork and spoon, he folded the crepes over again, forming triangles, and making sure each crepe was fully coated in sauce. Then, almost like a magician, he carefully picked up the crepes with the fork and spoon in one hand, and set them neatly on the platter, one over lapping the other.

Yukawa ladled extra sauce onto the crepes, then began cleaning his work space up again, retaining only the still burning, single element. He walked over to his refrigerator, pulling the freezer open to retrieve a pint of vanilla bean ice cream. 

Into the centre of the crepes, he placed a neat scoop of the ice cream, then reached over and picked up the champagne flute he had used earlier. He picked up the cherry blossom liqueur and added a generous amount to the flute, then a dash more of the Grand Marnier.

“I finish it off with the cherry liqueur,” he said and held the flute out over the flame of the burner. When it ignited, he switched off the element off at last. The blue flames from the mixed liqueurs danced about, not unlike what one would expect St. Elmo's Fire to look like. Yukawa carefully drizzled the spirits over the crepes on the plate, leaving a little river of blue flames flickering all around.

Once that was completed he set the flute aside, reached into the drawer and got out knife and fork. Carefully he nudged the plate over in front of Utsumi, deftly turning it. She stared in fascination at the flickering blue flames as they slowly began to die down. 

Yukawa watched her, then picked up the Sauternes, adding a little more to her glass, before reaching for the third flute he had gotten out and filling one for himself. Picking up the knife and fork, he fastidiously sliced off a piece of crepe then used the knife to add a bit of the ice cream before tapping the crepe in the extra sauce. He held the fork up towards her, lifting his eyebrow up in invitation.

“Try it,” he encouraged, holding a hand out under the offered piece. By now the crepes no longer had their blue flames. 

Utsumi looked up at him, a little unsure. 

Professor Yukawa Manabu was actually, physically, feeding her dessert. 

She shook herself and then she leaned forward. She kept a careful watch on him as she gingerly let him feed her that first, tantalizing, warm bite. When the flavours hit her tongue, she couldn't help but close her eyes, drawing in a deep breath of air, which just helped enhance the flavour even more. As that initial taste swept her away, she could barely hear the soft clinking of him cutting a piece of the dessert for himself.

The crepes were flavour ecstasy. Utsumi let out a soft 'ooo' of pure, unadulterated, delight. Her fingers slipped up to cover her mouth.

She opened her eyes, languidly slow, in time to see him close his eyes and nod his head, satisfied. 

His lips curled in a smile. “Delicious,” he murmured, as he walked around to stand next to her. Leaning a little towards the island Yukawa proceeded to cut her another piece, following what he had done moments before. Slice, dab of ice cream, bit of sauce and he held the fork up, hand underneath and looked at her.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked before she took the offered bite.

Yukawa, cutting off another piece for himself, carefully did not look her way. “You've been working very hard lately,” he said slowly, taking his time. “You're also looking more tired than normal.” He took the bite he'd cut off and his eyes closed to savour the dessert. He opened them again and cut off another forkful. Adding the ice cream and a dab of the sauce he turned and offered the bite to her. 

“I thought taking you out to dinner and making you dessert might help you to relax,” he said quietly as he fed her the next bite. 

Utsumi had gingerly used her teeth to the scrape the fork clear, studying him. Yukawa had leaned over again as he took another bite for himself. As his words sank in, she had to blink a couple of times, feeling a suspicious smart tingling her eyes. She saw the corner of his lips twitch a little, a private smile to himself. He set the fork and knife down and turned towards her.

“I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself you know...” she stated. 

He nodded, “Yes,” his hand lifted, reaching up to her forehead. Utsumi's breath caught as he used his fingertips to lightly brush her bangs to one side. She barely suppressed the minute tremor coursing through her at the warm electric tingle his brief touch created. She looked at him, a slight smile on her lips.

“You didn't have to do this...” she said softly. 

This time he didn't look away as he smiled gently at her. Between the aroma of the Crepes Suzette, the flavours still pleasantly being savoured, the soft light of the candles... Utsumi's eyes fluttered shut as his hand turned, delicately brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek. His touch elicited another shiver from her. He leaned closer to her ear and, with his voice dropping another octave, murmured, “I wanted to do this.” 

The pleasant burr of his voice caused her to sigh and tip her head towards the hand that had turned again, resting on her cheek and jaw. His fingertips barely caressed the soft skin just under her earlobe. She looked at him again, the soft glow of the candles bathing the both of them in their golden flickering light.

“Make dessert just for me?” she whispered, as his other hand joined in tilting her head up.

“Just for you,” he murmured. His lips captured her upper lip on one side of her mouth with a barely there butterfly softness that caused her to breathe slowly in, smelling the orange of the crepes and his cologne at the same time. Her eyes fluttered shut, and a tiny smirk curled her lips.

“And this is totally not romant...” she started.

Yukawa stepped even closer to her, deepened the kiss, cutting off her words.

Utsumi found she didn't want to correct him any more. Her hands rested on his clean white shirt, then slid slowly up his chest. Even though he may not think it, his every act of service towards her had spoken things far louder than words ever could. 

And besides, dessert wasn't exactly over yet.


End file.
